THE VIDEO SHELF · how computers work
Richard Feynman Computer Science Lecture - Hardware, Software and Heuristics
A lecture by Richard Feynman on how computers work, using the analogy of a filing clerk that becomes progressively dumber and faster. It also covers heuristics and how computers handle data and solve problems in finite time.
Why HN readers recommended it
Frequently recommended as the clearest plain-language explanation of what a computer fundamentally is, with at least one commenter saying it changed how they think about programming.
This is a summary from the source dataset, not an endorsement by Hacker News or the video creator.
Video & recommendation details
- Creator / channel
- Muon Ray
- Topic
- how computers work
- Format
- lecture
- Level
- general
- HN recommenders in dataset
- 8
- HN mentions in dataset
- 20
- Recommendation years in dataset
- 2013–2026
These counts and years describe the included Hacker News records; they are not YouTube views or the video’s publication date.
From the original HN conversations
Excerpts from the recorded comments. Follow each source for the full comment and surrounding discussion.
I am always amazed how Richard Feynman can make such simple stories and comparisons to explain the situation/theory in "explain like I'm 5" style. It seems that in every lecture or interview he gives he can explain the situation very fluently and in a way …
trymas on Hacker News · 2015-07
In Richard Feynman on the Challenger disaster (1986) [video]Most recently I really liked "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Dynamic Typing for Practical Programs": [LINK] The ones that had the most profound effect for me would be Linus's talk about git and Carsten Dominik on org-mode. Also, Richard Feynman explaining how computers work: [VIDEO] This …
cup-of-tea on Hacker News · 2018-04
In Ask HN: What is your favourite tech talk?You might be interested in this lecture that Feynman gave at a meeting called "Idiosyncratic Thinking": [VIDEO]
evanb on Hacker News · 2014-07
In What Problems to Solve
Summaries, classifications and recommendation records are from the HackerTube source dataset. Read about this library and its limitations.